Concrete-block machine.



= J. ROTARIUS.

CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1914. I L1 27,5Q1. Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J J I I I I I WITNESSES: INVENTOR a% ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PETERS 50.. PHOTO-LITHOI. WASHINGIDN. D. C

J. ROTARIUS.

CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1914.

1,127,521. Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR if? @M ,v ATTORNEY lUlblliTED PATEN @FFXQE.

.rosnrn noranrus, or KAWKAWLIN, MICHIGAN.

eoNcnErnBLoeK MACHINE.

Application filed February 9, 1914.

To all 207mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnPH RoTAnIUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kawkawlin, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cement-Block Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to machines for making cement building blocks having a central opening and a semi cylindrical recess formed in each of the end blocks.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine comprising an expansible mold, a vertically movable expansible core, a vertically movable tamper, and means for guiding the tamper within and without the mold.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangements and combination of parts, and the equivalents thereof, more fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like characters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved machine. Fi g. 2 is a side elevation of my invention, the dotted lines indicating the parts when raised. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing the tamper and expansible core. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective showing in detail a portion of the mold, one of the upright tamper guides, the lower bar of the slidable sash and the connection between said sash bar and the projecting pins of the mold. Fig. 5 is a Vertical crosssectional View through the core. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a finished block.

As shown'in the drawing, the frame of my invention comprises a pair of vertical guide rods lmounted on a suitable base 2 and connected at their upper ends with the crossbar 8.

Numeral 4 designates a removable pallet supported by the base. Adapted to seat on the pallet 4.- is an expansible mold-box comprising a pair of side-walls 5 and a pair of end-walls 6, hinged at three corners as at 7. The fourth corner of the mold-box is provided with a suitable locking-device 8. The locking device when opened, as shown in Specification of Letters Patent.

' down travel.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 817,590.

dotted lines in Fig. 1, allows the walls of the mold-box to move outwardly, thus expanding the mold. A pair of opposed semicylindrical members 9 are secured tothe inner faces of end walls 6. One member 9 is secured to each end wall 6 midway the length thereof and the upper ends of the members project upwardly a suitable distance'beyond the top edge of the mold-box. Each semi-cylindrical member is provided at its upper end with a substantially U- shaped guide 10. Each semi-cylindrical member is further provided with an out wardly and downwardly extending liftingpin 11, the object of which will be set forth hereinafter.

Slidingly mounted on the guide-rods 1 at a suitable distance above the mold-box is a sash comprising a pair of stiles 12 and the cross-bars 13 and 14. A pair of adjustably secured lifting rods 15 depend from the cross-bar 14. The lower end of each lifting rod is provided with an enlarged eye 16 adapted to receive the lifting-pin 11, as best shown in Fig. 4:. The pins 11 engage the upper surface of the eye when the sash is in its lowermost position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2.

It will be observed that the stiles 12 pass downwardly through the lower cross-bar 14 and are secured at their lower ends to .the ends of the strap-iron member 12 secured to the mold-box. as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This arrangement prevents the mold-box from swinging and getting out of line with the other parts during its up-and- A pair of stop blocks 17 are preferably secured to the lower surface of the cross-bar 14 adapted to engage the inner face of the semi-cylindrical member 9, to assist in positively centering the moldbox when the sash is lowered. A tamper guided bv the semi-cylindrical members 9 is employed as shown in Figs. 2 and The tamper consists of a tamper-plate l8 having a central aperture 19. Each end of the tamper is provided with a semi-cylindrical recess 19 adapted to receive the semi-cylindrical members 9. A pair of upwardlyextending arms 20 are secured to the top of tamper-plate 18 near the lateral edges thereof. which arms are connected at their upper ends with a cross-bar 21 having a central opening 22 adapted to receive the guiderod 23 as shown in Fig. 3.

A core 23 is located within and preferably movable vertically with the mold, such core comprising a member slit longitudinally, the abutting edges overlapping each other more or less as the core is con-- tracted or expanded. I have shown such core composed of a single sheet of resilient material so formed that its constant tendency is to collapse or contract automatically.

As a means for expanding the core, I arrange longitudinally extending ribs or battens 24 along the interior faces of the opposed core members. The inner faces of the ribs are recessed as at 25, at points in the same horizontal plane. An expander 00- operates with the ribs, such expander being the continuation of the guide-rod 23 and designated 26. Inverted cone-shaped wedges 27 are arranged in series on the expander, the bases of the wedges lying opposite the recesses 25 when the core is in contracted position, the points of the wedges engaging the inclined faces of the ribs, such inclined faces operating to guide the expander and form a seat therefor. When the expander is moved longitudinally, however, the wedges wipe over the projecting portions of the ribs to spread or expand the core. To contract the core. the guide rod 23 is pulled upward, thus the core automatically collapses as the wedges are removed from between the proiecting portions of the ribs.

The expander preferably carries three inverted cone-shaped wedges 27, two of which are located near the opposite ends of the core and the other in the middle. The expander also carries a head 28 adapted to enga ge the shoulders formed by recessing' the ribs when the core is contracted. and this head. together with the lowermost inverted cone-shaped wedge. which is also adapted to engage said shoulders. cotiper tes to lift the core when the sash is lifted. The tam er may be counterbalanced in any suitable manner. as by means of a spr ng 28' depending from the cross-bar 13 of the sash and attached to the cross-bar 21 of the tamping device.

To elevate the sash. the mold and tam er, I provide pulleys 29 on the frame. Flexible cables 30 are secured to the sash and extend over'the pulleys on the frame and down to the drums 30' mounted on shaft '31 journ'aled in the base. The shaft 31 is provided with a ratchet 39. adapted to be engaged by means of the pawl 33. The shaft is actuated by a crank 34.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Assuming the sash with mold, core and tamper tobe in ele ated position. as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and held in place by the ratchet mechanism. the operator will first placea pallet on the base of the frame. The ratchet is then released and the crank rotated to lower the mold and its cooperating parts, so that the casing and pair of mold will rest on the pallet. The operator then actuates the lever to expand the core by thrusting guide-rod 23 downward. He then draws the open corner of the mold together by means of the locking device 8 and looks it in position. The mold is now ready to receive the plastic material which is to be tamped down'and when completed, the lever is actuated to release the expander to con tract the core to permit the latter to easily lift out of the opening formed in the block. The latch 8 is then released on the mold, allowing the mold to expand, whereby the block is released. The crank 34 is then rotated to raise the sash, mold, core and tamper up clear of the block, so that the latter may be removed on the pallet.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cement block-machine, the combination with an expansible mold; of a tamper having each end provided with a semi-circular recess and a semi-cylindrical combined tamper-guide-bar and block-recess former secured to the inner faces of the ends of the mold-box.

2. ln a cement block-machine, the combination with an expansible mold; of a vertically movable tamper having a. central core-aperture and each end provided with a semi-circular recess, an expansible core adapted to be received in the core-aperture of said tamper; and each end of the moldboX provided with a semi-cylindrical vertical bar secured to the inner face thereof, said bars projecting upward above the top edges of the mold to form guides for the tamper.

3. In a cement block-machine, the combination with a supporting tray, a base and a sliding-sash movable in said frame; of a vertically movable expansible mold-box, a pair of opposed semi-cylindrical members secured to said mold-box and projecting upwardly beyond the upper edge thereof. sashguides secured to the upper ends of said semi-cylindricalmembers, a lifting-pin secured to each of said semi-cylindrical members, a connection between said pins and said sliding-sash, a tamper having a central core-aperture and guided by said cylindrical members; a counter-balance spring secured to the upper end of said tamper and engaging at its opposite end the aforesaid sliding-sash; means for raising said moldbox, sash and core simultaneously, and means for raising said tamper during the travel of said slidingsash.

i. In a cement block machine, the combination with a supportingframe, a base and a sliding sash movable in said frame; of a vertically movable expansible mold-box, a opposed semi-cylindrical members secured to the end members of said mold box and projecting upwardly beyond the upper edges thereof, sash-guides secured to the upper ends of said members, an inclined lifting-pin secured to each of said semicylindrical members, a connection between said pins and said sliding-sash, said connection having an enlarged eye formed at the pin-engaging end thereof, mold-box centering-blocks secured to the lower face of the sliding-sash and engaging said semi-cylindrical members when the mold-box is in its contracted position; a tamper having a central core-aperture and guided by said semicylindrical members; an eXpansible core adapted to pass through the aperture of said tamper; a counter-balance spring mounted on the upper end of said tamper and engaging at its opposite end said sliding-sash; means for raising said mold-box, sash and core simultaneously, and means for raising said tamper during the travel of said sliding-sash.

5. In a cement block-machine, the combination with a supporting tray, a base and a sliding sash movable in said frame; of a Vertically movable expansible mold-box, a pair of opposed semi-cylindrical members secured to said mold-box and projecting upwardly beyond the upper edge thereof, sashguides secured to the upper ends of said semi-cylindrical members, a lifting-pin secured to each of said semi-cylindrical members, a connection between said pins and said sliding-sash, a tamper having a central core-aperture and guided by said semi-cylindrical members; a counter-balance spring mounted on the upper end of said tamper and engaging at its opposite end the aforesaid sliding sash; means for raising said mold-box, sash and core simultaneously, means to prevent swinging movement of the mold boX during its travel, and means for raising said tamper during the travel of said sliding-sash.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH ROTARIUS. Witnesses:

PHILIP HYMoN, STEPHEN B. HILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

